Fabric



March 2.2 1927.

H.. .|.l MooRE FABRI C Filed May 15, 1925 /N VE N TUF.'

f7 TTOPNE' Y.

'le nary use. f

Patented Mar. 22, l1927.

lUNITED STATES numerales..

nAnoLn J. Moons, or MIDDLETCWN, CONNECTICUT, AssIeNoR To THE RUSSELL IAN- UTACTURING COMPANY, oF MIDDLETCWN, CONNECTICUT, A conroRATIoNoF CCN- NECTICUT.

l FABRIC.

Application mea may 15, 1925. 'serial Nason- 17.

My invention relates t that class of fabrics that are more commonly employed at the meeting edges of material for closing openings, as inl overshoes, garments and the like, and an. object of my invention, among others, is the production of a fabric that shall` possess extreme durability and, therefore, that `will'effect'ually withstand the severe conditions placed upon it under ordi- A fabric embodying my inventiony and in the construction and use of'which the ob- `ects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accomxe panying drawings, in which*- v ,Figure 1 `is a View illustrating the meeting edges of two pieces-f material comprisi my improved fabric. r f 'gare 2` is a face view; scaleenlarged, of ^a fabric embodying my invention.-`

- 3 is a view` in cross section through a or'tinof said'fabric.` f 'gare' 4'is'a face View of a fabric emlfodyin'g my invention in a. slightly diiferent orm. f

In order to lclearly illustrate the rinvention it has seemedfadvisable toexaggeratefthe showing, especially as to Figures' 2,3 and 4, concerning the 'spaces between-and the relative locations of the threads. -f

t It is common practice -at the present time to close the meeting edges ofarticles of wearing apparel and other devices byl means of a metallic member that is slidably attached Vto guiding and locking strips, alsov .usually of metal, that insome instances are fastened to'f'comparatively narrow. pieces separately formed and attached to the borders ofthe fabrics at such meeting ed s, these guiding strips having interlocking means at 'certain points to secure such meet- -ing edgesfafterv the slidable member has' passed such points in its slidingmovement. This means of fastening is commonly employed in overshoes and vother articles of wearing apparel, as well as other devices. Those parts 0f the articles to which the closing members are attached are usually composed of fabric, and a diiculty has arisen in the use of this means of fastening, by reason of the breaking or tearing of the fabric adjacent to and outside of the edge of the guiding and locking strip. Further trouble has arlsenv by reason of a puckering of that por: tion of the bordering piece that is over- 'lapped on and secured to the main fabric comprising the article provided with the closing means. This is especiallytrue in the t case of overshoes and other articles composed of,a somewhat heavyfabric,

It is the purpose of this invention to overcome these diiiiculties by so constructinglthe fabric that this tearing orbreaking under ordinaryV conditions, of use and the ypuckering and unevenness of kone piece secured to another will be eliminated. IIn effecting this purpose I provide. a borderingstrip of woven fabric thatis attached to the edges of the fabric comprising .the article to which.'`

the fastening device is to .be attached, this 70, bordering strip having a thickened edge to receive thefastening structure; andan op osite or selvageedgeto provide a finish. i. etwee'n this border and selvageIe providea' section .or sectionsv of a comparatively loose weave extending lengthwise ofthe stri" this sectionl or these sections being boun ed by. stiffer and more rigid sections. There may be a single section loosely woven, pliable and flexible bounded .b the stiffer border and selvage,or by a sti er or more closely woven A fabric between the bounding 'edge and l0ose' 1y woven section or` sections, and, as above mentioned, when `more than a single loosely woven section vis employed they will be supported by strips of the stiffer and morev closely woven fabric. In prior structures in which there has been a thickened edge extendingalong the border, the body of the fabric has been uniformly'woven fromsuch thickened edge to-the opposite or selvage edge; A result of this construction is that the entire body of,v the bordering strip is so stiff. and unpliable that the forces applied to .the slidingl structures in fastening and uny fasteninghthe meeting edges of the article cause the fabric back of the thickened edge to be ruptured and broken with a result that the fastening soon becomes unfit for use.

I have found that by providing a yield- 1oo ing or iexible section `0r ielding and ilexible sections back of the thickened ed which will yield .and'oier a certain 'iiexi ility in the operation of the ,fastenin devices this' liability to ru ture is removed.

It has also n noted'that in securing a bordering strip of a uniformly stiff weave to the fabric comprising the article as by meansofan adhesive which is a common method for securing the bordering strip in nev place, the bordering strip becomes puckered and, therefore, uneven, and I have found that in the. use of my improved fabric with a section orsections more flexible than the v adjacent sections this liability to pucker is removed with a result that the bordering fabric may be nicely and evenly secured in p ace. Y

My improved fabric, constructed as hereinabove outlined, and having the advantages set forth, is illustrated in the drawings herein in which the numeral indicates a portion of the main fabric of the article, as

1 an overshoe, to which my'improved borderlthe invention is not limited to a fabric woven, asto the. different sections, in any distinct manner.

l threads and to which thic vany desired mannerv an My imp'roved bordering strip comprises a thickened edge?v that ma be woven 1n d tli'at preferably comprises a' plurality of la ers of war threads suitably united llirwr or we t 4 8 of guiding andI locking members are sel ber 9, .the

I ing secure in place by the thickened edge.

'cured for the reception of a slidable memidingand locking members bebending them around Back of the thlckened edge I provide' one or more ,flexible sections --11I that may be obtained in any desired form of weave. As'shown vin Figure 2 this weave is obtained by locating the warp threads 12 at some distance apart and uniting them by weft threads 13 extended alternately .over and under the warp threads. In the structure shown in Figure 4 the flexible sections 14 are obtained by a little Vdifferent arrange-1 mentof the warp and weft threadsir sgid' threads bein more closely Iarrange it will be un erstood that these lexlble secltions may be obtained .by any desirable weave.

In the structure herein specifically set out a stiftl supportin section 15 of ordinary weave is locat the border extendin 10, and another isti to the flexible section sup orting section 16 is located between the exible sections 10 v immediately back of Y Lacasse and l11, a selvage 17 bordering the second flexible. section 11, and as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing'. i In this .arrangement the flexible sections 1() and 11- serve to obviate the injurious efectswhich would otherwise exist by reason of the sliding movementof the member or slider 9 in fastening and unfastening the j edges of the artic1e,.and the lexible sections 11 are additionally made use of t0 enable this ortion of the fabric to be smoothly and) fabric 5.

In 'accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the device which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but

'.10 evenly secured to the main I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out. Y

' I claim- 1. An article having an opening bordered at opposite edges by a structure of fabric having thickened edges, said fabric comprising stiff supporting sections extending lengthwise of the' openin with a flexible section located back of said thickened edge and between said stiffsections, a mechanical closing device slidable' in adirection le hwise of said edges and. having injurious effects of suchv sliding .movement counteracted by said lexiblesection and a guiding member at -said edge and upon which said closingl device rides.

2. article having an opening bordered at'opposite edges by a structure of fabric having thickened edges,' a plurality of loosely formed flexible sections separated by stiffer supporting sections all extendin lengthwisev of sald opening, a mechani closing device slidable in a'direction lengthwise' of said edes` and having injurious, idmgmovement counter-` efects of such acted by said-flexible sections anda guidin member at said edge andupon which'sai closing device-rides.

3. A'lbordering strip com .rising-a fabrichaving a thickened edge, a p urality of loosely formed sections located back of said thickened edge and separated by stiffer supporting sections, a mechanical closing* device slidable in a. direction lengthwise of said` ed and a guiding member at said edge an upon which said closing. device rides. Y

HARoLD J. MOORE." 

